Looking to hook up in Phuket/Similan arond 2nd week of Sep

[Quero]

OBTW, also..... I noticed that the "official government website" has many out-of-date pages, some dated last copyright in 2004:



So, we also might not be getting correct and up-to-date information on the "official" web site either.

I'm sure you're correct that some pages are out of date, but this particular page has a notation on it that it was updated on May 14, 2010, so I would presume that the information is current.

 

[ppatrick]

I tried to fix it. It works for me now--hope it works for you!

Quero, funrecdiver, Molecule, thanks for responding to my questions.

Quero, I tried to go to the web site that you posted but could not find the schedule. The site has a lot of info but no schedules. Maybe I'm blind? :shocked2: Anyway thanks for suggesting that I can do Live abroad on the Gulf side. Do you live in Phuket? Let me know if you plan to have a party or can use some companies during the 2nd week of September. You seem like a very nice person.

Molecule, I'll check Losin and HaddYai to see if there is any Live aboard there. Hmm... I know HaddYai (used to visit it with parents when I was a kid) but never heard of Losin. I wonder how does it spell in Thai...

 

[funrecdiver]

Thanks Quero!

Works for me now and I see the dates you quoted!

Thanks !!

 

[Quero]

Quero, funrecdiver, Molecule, thanks for responding to my questions.

Quero, I tried to go to the web site that you posted but could not find the schedule. The site has a lot of info but no schedules. Maybe I'm blind? :shocked2:

I've copied the relevant part of the page for you... the blue text is exactly this color in the park website (about halfway down the page).

Climate
Summer begins in mid February and ends in May. Rainy season starts from mid May till October with North - Western wind. Average annual temperature is 27๐c with average of approximately 83% humidity all year round. Average annual rainfall is measured at 3,560 millimeters with evaporation rate of 1,708 millimeters per year. In rainy season, the national park will be closed during 1 May - 31 October every year for visitors safety.

Anyway thanks for suggesting that I can do Live abroad on the Gulf side. Do you live in Phuket? Let me know if you plan to have a party or can use some companies during the 2nd week of September. You seem like a very nice person.

I guess this is probably not for me, but instead for Molecule since he is the one that suggested the Gulf liveaboard.... Nevertheless, just in case...
Yes, I do live on Phuket. And I always enjoy meeting visiting divers, so sure! I'd be glad to meet up.

I ... never heard of Losin. I wonder how does it spell in Thai...

Koh Losin = เกาะโลซิน
You wouldn't have heard of it, I guess, because there's nothing there but a dive site and a fishing spot. It's way down south in Pattani province.

 

[limirl]

Patrick, yes, you can dive from the Gulf islands, particularly Tao, in September. You can also dive from Phuket. You only can't go to the Similans. We dive year round from Phuket (as well as from Tao), and we also have some low season liveaboards out to the southern islands and the Hin Daeng area during our low season. There's no need to go to Indonesia, though you certainly could do so. I love Bali in September, and Lembeh is a joy at that time of year, too, if you like the sort of diving that's available there.

Can you elaborate on the low season liveaboard trips ? What are the conditions like for that time of year, in rough weather do you cancel often, visibility, etc. Which areas besides hin daeng do you visit ?

Thanks.

 

[ppatrick]

Yes, I do live on Phuket. And I always enjoy meeting visiting divers, so sure! I'd be glad to meet up.

Koh Losin = เกาะโลซิน
You wouldn't have heard of it, I guess, because there's nothing there but a dive site and a fishing spot. It's way down south in Pattani province.

Wow! You have the spelling of Koh Losin in Thai! :shocked2: I'm impressed! Thank you for all info. I'll post the date that I'll be around Phuket when I know (should be in the next 3 weeks).

 

[Quero]

Can you elaborate on the low season liveaboard trips ? What are the conditions like for that time of year, in rough weather do you cancel often, visibility, etc. Which areas besides hin daeng do you visit ?

Thanks.

Well, there's some variation from boat to boat, but a couple of boats do longish (4 or 5-day) low season trips that take in pretty much all of the area down to Hin Daeng/Hin Muang, and even all the way down to the Malaysian border to the Tarutao National Park. A few boats do some October low season trips south in preparation for their high-season Similans trips, and one operator simply parks its liveaboard off Racha Yai to do dives only around there for the whole low season.

Confirmation of trips in the low season is most often a question of booking numbers. If there are enough divers booked, the trip takes place. It's quite rare for trips to be canceled due to bad weather, and when it does happen, it's mainly daytrip boats that turn around and head back to harbour. The liveaboards would look for sheltered dive sites away from big waves given that they're generally already at sea anyway.

Visibility isn't much affected by rainy weather here since we don't have a lot of agricultural activity on our islands. If crops are grown at all, they are tree crops like coconuts and rubber, so there's not runoff to cloud the water. However, I find that the water is somewhat greener in low season and bluer in high season due to plankton in the water. Since plankton is fish food, that has its upside!

 

[kiwidiver.com]

We are diving daily out of Phuket to Racha Yai, Racha Noi Phi Phi and about a dozen other sites. As Quero pointed out the Similans are closed but there is plenty of good diving around Phuket and if you have your own boat they are all within easy reach and there is good shelter for overnighting on the boat close to most of the dive sites.

 

[aquamarin]

........just wanted to add that the Similan National Park confirmed towards us that they are open as of November 1st........

 

[ppatrick]

Thanks everyone for replying my post. I just came back from Koh Samui. I ended up going to Samui (located in the Gulf of Thailand) because my dad wanted to do some golfing there. I dove at White Rock and another dive site (I forgot). Honestly, it was not as beautiful as Similan. Too many dead hard corals and not enough colorful fish. I was a bit disappointed. Everything was also more expensive compared to Phuket. If I plan to dive in Thailand again, I would definitely do it at the Adaman sea side.

Patrick